Fluid-pressure reducing or regulating apparatus.



F. KABFBRLE. FLUID PRESSURE REDUGING 0R RBGULATING APP APPLICATION FILED MAR. 3, 1.905.

ARATUS.

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PATENTED OCT. 23. 1906.l

' Toa/ll whom, it may concern:

PATENT oFFIon. e f

'i fI'RrrZ KAEFERLE, or HANOVER., GERMANY.

` y QFLUID-.PR'SSUBE l-:buolNG 0R `FIEGULATING. APPARATUS,

Be it known that I, FRITZ `KAEFERLE,

manufacturer and engineer,'a subject of the f f Kin of Prussia, German Emperor, residing y steam.v e

Apparatus are known for this purpose in which a double-acting valve controlled by a float or weight floating on or in mercury is situated between the high-pressure chamber and the low-pressure chamber. One disadvantage of these apparatus lies in the fact that whenever the pressure ofthe fluid exceedsa certain limit, as will unavoidably o ccur, the mercury or a portion thereof is discharged from its normal receptacle, so that collectors, such as that described in the speciiication'of UnitedStates Patent No. 671,069, granted to me on April 2, 1901, must be used'to prevent the loss of mercury.` The mercury-collector described in the patentyreferred to has, however, the disadvantage that it retains the discharged mercury until means have been :operated to permit the mercury to flow back to its proper receptacle. If the apparatus to which the low-pressure fluid is su plied is` situatedV at a considerable distance i-Prom the pressure-reducing device and if the said apparatus is, moreover, of such a kind that it hasto be frequentlystarted and stopped, considerable inconvenience is caused tothe person in charge of the apparatus by the fact that each time the apparatus is stopped mercury is caused by the infcrease of pressure to flow into the mercurycollector, so that the latter must be emptied in the manner hereinbefore indicated.

In my previous patent, No. 682,085, granted to me on September 3, 1901, .the discharge ofthe mercury which would occur by the moyInentum iven to it on a sudden pressurev is prevente by the use of a narrow bore in the tube, but this has the disadvantage that the vreturn of the mercury is slower than is sometimes required. y

The impoved pressure-reducing a paratus to w 'ch the present invention re ates isso designed that the use of a mercury-collector of the kind hereinbefore referred to is specification ef Lettere Patent. Application filed March 3, 1905. Serial No. 249,447.

anover, Germany, have invented certain I Patented oet. .123, 1906.

tube. V

The invention is illustrated in the annexed drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic section 0f the im roved device, and Fig. 2 a sectional detai view showing certain parts of the device in different relative positions.

H is the conduit leading from the highpressure chamber, N the conduit leading to the low-pressure chamber, and D the valve controlled by the float P. The latter is connected to the valve D by means of a lever D and suitable rods D2 Da and is situated in the chamber or cup Gr, which contains mercury. From the bottom of the chamberG a bent obviated without reducing the bore of the y tube Sleads to a receptacle U, situated at a higher level than the chamber G, and into the orifice of said tube S at the bottom of the chamber G there is loosely inserted the valve R, which is preferably of iron. j

The action of the device is as follows: rPhe valve R floats in the mercury and normally occupies the position shown in Fig. 2. When, however, the pressure below the valve D exceeds that pressure which it is desired to maintain in thelow-pressure chamber, the level of themercury in the chamber G is depressed by the pressure of the steam on the surface of the mercury and the iioat P sinks and partly or entirely closes the valve D. Owing to its buoyancy the valve R remains open while the mercury is being expelled from the chamber G toward the rece tacle U but should the mercury-level in the eft-hand arm of the tube S sink to a suiiicient extent to enable the valve R to reach and close the orifice in the bottom of `the chamber G, as shown in 1, no more mercury can be expelled. Eit er when or before this position is reached the valve D will have been closed by the weight of the float P. When the excess of pressure below the4 valve D has disappeared, the head of mercury in the receptacle U causes the valve R to be reopened, so that mercury can flow back to the chamber G and lift the float P to the desired extentto again open the valve D.A n

It is obvious that the arran ement of the valve R, tube S, and receptac e U prevents the entire discharge of mercury from the controlling device and enables the mercury displaced by excess of pressure to return automatically to its normal position.

What I claim as my invention, and desire IOC IOS

IIo

mercury-chamber, of a buoyant valve in the latter adapted to closesaid means of colnmunication when the level of mercury in said chamber has fallen toa predetermined extent.

In witness whereof I have signed this specification in the presenceof two Witnesses.

FRITZ KAEFERLE.

Witnesses LEoNoRE KAsoH, ANNA DIPPEL. 

